Order online, pick​ ​up ​when you come in for your sweat session. Easy, real food​ created by local chefs and nutritionists​ (all without gluten and dairy ingredients). Start here to grab $25 off

If you’re looking to add more antioxidants to your diet, check out these four easy antioxidant-rich recipes to try this summer!

1. Acai and Pitaya Smoothie Bowl

Smoothie bowls are always a classic, especially when made with the superfruit duo of acai and pitaya. Acai and pitaya are some of the richest antioxidant fruits to eat, and have blown up in healthy food markets with just as much credibility as blueberries and bananas, to name some examples. To indulge in these super-fruits’ purifying benefits, blend them together with additional fruit and a liquid base (such as Greek yogurt or orange juice) and place it in a bowl. Add more berries or fruit of your choice on top, sprinkle some shredded coconut, seeds, and nuts, and then mix in protein or matcha powder to finish. It’s the perfect breakfast to kick-start a productive day!

2. Bean and Vegetable Salad

When you think of antioxidants, do beans come up first – or at all – in your mind? Beans in particular are actually comparable to berries because they also possess detoxifying properties that regulate the digestive process, remove harmful and toxic substances from the body, and keep the heart healthy and happy. For this quick lunch or dinner, throw a combination of kidney, black, and pinto beans into a serving plate alongside a hearty serving of your favorite chopped vegetables and a protein source. You’ll be energized and satisfied for hours!

3. Berries dipped in Dark Chocolate, Nuts, and Spices

Have a sweet tooth? Then we’ve got fantastic news for you! To curb a sugar craving, snack on a guilt-free dessert of fruit dipped in dark chocolate, spices, and nuts to keep any temptation for cheat food at bay. Choose a berry of your choice to act as a base to this dessert. For this recipe in particular, we recommend strawberries.

Put your desired berries to the side and melt some dark chocolate in a pot over the stove. Dark chocolate is full of antioxidants like fruit and vegetables, so don’t be shy with indulging in a bar or two. They’re also fantastic for reducing cholesterol levels, maintaining cardiovascular health, and improving brain function.

The nuts you choose should be fat burning and easy on the stomach, such as pistachios, almonds, walnuts, and cashews. They give a perfect crunch to the chocolate! Lastly, in terms of spices, add a pinch of cinnamon or turmeric to the melted dark chocolate. This is the final kick to give the recipe a textured flavor. Furthermore, spices possess an incredibly high concentration of antioxidants and combat more toxins than dark chocolate!

4. A classic cold-pressed juice

Unlike a smoothie which uses the whole fruit or vegetable, a cold-pressed juice liquifies ingredients and extracts the purest form of their nutrients – and the tastiest! A common cold-pressed juice you may be familiar with is one comprised of apples, kale, cucumber, celery, and lemon. It may sound like a questionable cocktail, but juicing fruits and vegetables together results in a superior and healthy drink that is an absolute treat for the body and ensures your well-being.

By: Rachel O’Connor

During the month of August, Modern Market is offering MINT members 20% off! Stop by MINT Downtown on August 16th from 5:15-6:45pm where they will be giving out food samples.

 

There are a lot of contemporary variations of Barre classes, but most all styles you’ll find today have their roots in Lotte Berk Method. But who was Lotte Berk, and what’s the story there?

Lotte Berk was born in Cologne, Germany in 1913 and trained in ballet and modern dance in her youth. By the age of 18, she was dancing professionally, and she performed with prominent German companies up until the 1930s when the rise of Nazism forced her to flee the country with her husband and young daughter. The family settled in England, but while she tried to pick up her dance career, she found her contemporary style was not appreciated by the British at that time. She found work as an artist’s model, but ultimately knew she would have to make a career change. With the help of an osteopath, she developed an exercise method based on her dance training that combined principles of ballet with rehabilitative therapy. The method focuses on isolating specific muscle groups and combines both strength and flexibility training. In 1959, the 46-year-old Berk opened the Manchester Street Studio for Exercise, a studio that was exclusively for women. And while you might imagine a ladies exercise studio in England at that time to be somewhat prim and proper, a few of the original exercises in the method had some decidedly improper names, such as “the Prostitute”, “the Peeing Dog” and “the French Lavatory.” In 1971, her student Lydia Bach brought the method to the United States, and the rest is Barre history.

If you’ve been curious about Barre, just try it! One of the best things about a MINT membership that includes classes is that you can jump into a studio-quality Barre class without paying any additional fees. And while all of our Barre classes at MINT are appropriate for all levels and welcome both women and men (yes, guys can do Barre too!), we’ll be offering a new Barre Basics class designed for beginners to get a full 50-minute Barre experience in a small-class environment. These will be offered on Sundays in September at 1:30 PM at MINT Dupont, and attendance will be capped at 8 participants, so make sure to sign up in advance!

Mark your calendars! Our community partner, Mellow Mushroom, will be hosting a happy hour for Mint members on August 22nd from 5-7PM! After your workout head on over for delicious food and drink specials: 1/2 off wings, $3 cheese bread, $4 bruschetta, $5 house wines/liquors and $2 off drafts!

RSVP here

A friend of mine lives on diet soda. And I mean lives on it. I don’t think I’ve ever seen this friend drink a glass of plain water and it pains me to think how the artificial stuff she is dumping into her body is impacting her health.

Whether you drink soda (or “pop,” depending on which part of the country you’re in) on the reg or just as a “treat” and whether you drink fully-sugared or “just” options with artificial sweeteners, here are a few things to consider before you next choose soda over any other option:

1) Extra sugar can lower your HDL cholesterol (that’s the good kind).
2) NUMEROUS studies have linked sugary drinks with obesity and Type 2 diabetes. You know this. All of New York knows this.
3) Artificial sweeteners can increase your risk of diabetes, too.
4) Studies suggest that diet soda does NOT promote weight loss and does NOT lower the calories you take in.
5) A recent study linked diet soda to an increased risk of dementia and stroke. Yes, I know the results are complicated and an absolutely 100% clear link hasn’t been established yet. But stroke and dementia? Why take the risk?
6) Artificial sweeteners impact how your body responds to other food and sweeteners. (You didn’t think we could just dump chemicals down our gullets without any impact, did you?)
7) You may not think about your skeleton very often, but your bones are important if you want to keep moving – and drinking soda is bad for your bones.

You only get one body. Why not treat it right?